SocialMinds - A Social Media Marketing Podcast

On this week’s Social in Six, we’re sharing the latest on TikTok’s answer to virtual influencers: Digital Avatars, and an expansion of its Out of Phone ad placement. We discuss Instagram’s exciting addition to Reels regarding audio and an update to its Collab Posts, plus X’s decision to introduce downvotes and Pinterest’s new AI image editing tool. Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

If you saw Jeremy Allen White’s Calvin Klein ad, count yourself lucky. It was shared without ALT text, so blind and partially sighted people couldn’t join the fun. That was until RNIB schooled us all. Behind every sassy, creative, and inventive post from the Royal National Institute of Blind People is an important message: People with sight loss exist. Social media content manager and previous copywriter for Specsavers’ agency, Helen Dutson, and RNIB’s social media officer Holly Tuke, who’s registered blind are on a mission to show social media that accessible content is achievable, necessary, and rich ground for creativity. In this episode we got a lesson in what scrolling through social is like for someone with sight loss, how to make truly accessible content, who’s doing it well, and how platforms can improve their features. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at social.minds@socialchain.com.

This week on Social in Six, we’re joined by SocialChain senior strategist Gareth to break down the top stories circulating in social right now. On the agenda are two updates from Instagram – the first being a test for text overlays and different image ratios in Carousels, and the second being unskippable in-feed video ads. We also discuss TikTok replacing its Creator Centre with new TikTok Studio, X launching new analytics (with a catch), and LinkedIn implementing yet another AI ad tool. Finally we unpack findings from a new Pinterest report, which offers some key insights into getting attention on the platform. Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

Oatly’s punk reputation needs no introduction, but its new media plan does. The brand is scaling up and growing up. So how can Oatly’s provocative ads and content stay that way, while it steps into this next, more mature, phase? In this episode we’re joined by its Global Media Director, Sarah Sutton, to reveal when brands are over-strategising, why Oatly still won’t write TOV guidelines (I know, I know) and how they’re approaching social reactive and creator partnerships after watching the rest of us do it first. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

A good social strategy should be a lot of things. But the best ones are built around, and for, the fans. Go behind the curtain of a campaign that dominated the FYP page in 2023: SharkNinja’s fan-first approach promoting the Ninja Creami on TikTok. And discover how you too can build campaigns that outlast you. Hear from SharkNinja director of social media & influencers, and SocialChain’s head of influencer Amelia Wollaston, and senior strategist Gareth Harrison. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

Measuring social’s effectiveness can be a minefield. We all want to create more effective outcomes for our brands through social, but social media’s KPIs often seem disconnected to marketing effectiveness principles. That’s what we aim to clarify through this panel discussion – with Ric Hayes, SocialChain group strategy director; Hannah Kimuyu, Brave Bison MD of performance; and Angie French, founder of ALF Consulting. In this, they simplify what it means to know how hard your ads are working – and show you exactly where to start. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

In this instalment of Social in Six, we’re joined by SocialChain strategist Kieran Hughes to break down the latest social updates. This time that includes collaboration posts from TikTok, an algorithm change from Instagram, and several new premium ad types from TikTok. We also talk about Meta and TikTok’s new crackdown on AI generated content, Instagram’s plan to grow Threads’ userbase further, and what Adam Mosseri had to say on Reels best practice. Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

What should we, as brands, be doing to make our campaigns more engaging and, ultimately, more effective? There’s no one better to ask than those who write the rules of engagement – the platforms themselves. At SocialMinds LIVE 2024 we put three of the major social players around the same table to find out – algorithm be damned - what formats, campaigns and ad solutions really drive engagement on their respective channels. Hear from Tobi Demuren, head of advocacy marketing at LinkedIn; Matthew Siberry, head of home at Pinterest UK; and Molly Rajanathan; agency solutions at Meta. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

Our first panel at SocialMinds LIVE in London asked one simple question: how can brands bin the buzzword and build a genuine community? Answering our question was Leah Silverlock, global director of social media at American Express GBT; Jake Gauntlett, head of content at MOB; and Tom Bellamy, SocialChain’s executive creator director. But here’s the catch: how we define community and how the wider industry defines it, is wildly disconnected. Through this discussion and the following Q&A, we set the record straight and set brands on the right path. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

Join us from the SocialMinds stage in London, as we go behind the scenes of the ODMC (the Oatly Department of Mind Control) to find out what makes a distinctive brand on social. Hear from Sarah Sutton, global media director for the illustrious Oatly, as we learn how vowing to be consistently inconsistent has enabled everyone’s favourite oat drink to build reams of brand equity. Plus, listen as your questions get answered in our Q&A section. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

This week on Social in Six, we’re talking about Instagram’s latest move into collaborative social, with Blend, TikTok’s push into shopping ads and search, and YouTube’s focus on creator-led shopping. Elsewhere, Facebook’s rules for video uploads have changed, while Reddit and LinkedIn both have exciting updates to their ads offering, branching into generative AI, live events, and Connected TV or CTV. Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

This episode is proudly sponsored by Riverside.fm. Click here to try it for yourself, and use the code socialminds to get 15% off any available plan. What we learned this episode: saying people don’t care about product-focused posts isn’t true. What today’s guest says, is they don’t care by default. Doesn’t mean you can’t make them. That guest is John Thornton, senior creative at Surreal and ex-SMM & copywriter at Innocent Drinks. Surreal’s product posts and ads make people care - as do Innocent’s. So in this episode, we’re on a mission to find out how the hell John does it. Why do some brands just *get* how to make their product pop, while other brands are in the trenches? Expect to learn where self-awareness trumps ‘story’, why “soft outrage” often equals success, and how you’re probably breaking that promise you made to humanise your brand. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at social.minds@socialchain.com https://creators.riverside.fm/SocialMindsPodcast

SocialMinds Live is back, and we’re heading to London! Listen to this quick update to get the lowdown, and be among the first to register your interest to hear Oatly, SharkNinja, American Express and more, in the flesh. To find out more, visit https://www.socialchain.com/event/

This episode is proudly sponsored by Riverside.fm. Click here to try it for yourself, and use the code socialminds to get 15% off any available plan. Today’s Social in Six covers several strategy-changing updates – including a new LinkedIn algorithm that doesn’t care when you published your post, only what you’re talking about; a direct Instagram competitor app from TikTok called TikTok Photos (👀); and a TikTok AI tool that automatically identifies products and generates native Shop links. We also have to talk about Instagram’s Creator Marketplace getting a global rollout, all the new ad tools with Meta’s Advantage+ update, and Elon Musk’s plan to hide likes, replies and reposts from view in the feed. Keep listening until the end of the episode to hear our news about SocialMinds Live returning for 2024, or click here for more information on how to register. Click here to sign up to RiversideFM with our promo code socialminds - https://creators.riverside.fm/SocialMindsPodcast

This episode is proudly sponsored by Riverside.fm. Click here to try it for yourself, and use the code socialminds to get 15% off any available plan. Sidemen was eight years into their YouTube journey when Arcade Media stepped in to manage the operation. As if they weren’t already, since then, the group has surpassed heights that most creators only dream of. In this episode, we’re joined by Arcade co-founder and manager of Sidemen, Jordan Schwarzenberger, to find out how the magic happens. Expect to learn the number of staff working every day to ensure the boys don’t get burnout, why Jordan’s team sat down last year and agreed to put brand building before brand deals, and what Covid really did to the creator landscape - as the industry wrestles to catch up with the consequences. This is the side of Sidemen you don’t hear about, and is a must-listen for anyone interested in influencer-dom. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at social.minds@socialchain.com Click here to sign up to RiversideFM with our promo code socialminds - https://creators.riverside.fm/SocialMindsPodcast

This episode is proudly sponsored by Riverside.fm. Click here to try it for yourself, and use the code socialminds to get 15% off any available plan. This week on Social in Six, we’re talking all about Instagram’s latest peek at TikTok’s homework, Meta’s new tool to tackle video ad conversion, and how X plans to win back advertisers and creators. We also discuss the ongoing drama between Universal Music Group and TikTok and its impact on artists and TikTok’s culture, TikTok’s new shortcut set to dominate search for Gen Z, and LinkedIn’s latest feature to turn your web visitors into paying customers. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at social.minds@socialchain.com Click here to sign up to RiversideFM with our promo code socialminds - https://creators.riverside.fm/SocialMindsPodcast https://creators.riverside.fm/SocialMindsPodcast

Booking.com is the first port of call for many a traveller when they’ve got a trip to plan. But it isn’t the only online travel agency out there. So how is it staying ahead of the game? On today’s episode, its global social media director Laura Kaye reveals how Booking.com remains top-of-mind for holidaymakers through unique social creative. Find out how the brand deals with complaints in the comments, the most effective strategies for leveraging influencers, and the key to balancing high-performing ‘travel porn’ with ownable, distinctive content. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

Social in Six is back for the new year, and already there’s lots to talk about. This time we’re sharing TikTok’s new AI chatbot that’ll give you content ideas, why it’s important for Threads to have a write API, and the first stage of Google’s cookiepocalypse set into motion. We also talk about TikTok’s commerce spend push in the West, Instagram Reels outperforming TikToks for views, and what qualities made the most popular YouTube ads last year. Got a question or suggestion for the Social Minds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

The crystal ball is out once more as we’re joined by Pinterest’s director of marketing for Europe, Louise Richardson, who comes to our studio armed with this year’s Pinterest Predicts report. This year, look out for trends like tropic like its hot, where we’ll see everything from food to décor go tropical, to making a racket, where badminton’s popularity is breaking out of China and seeping into things like shoes and accessories! Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com.

As 2023 draws to a close, Eve takes a look back (or should we say listen back) to some of our favourite moments from this year’s SocialMinds interviews. It’s impossible to pick favourites from every expert we’ve chatted to over the last 12 months, but these five were chosen because of how they reflect another year in social media marketing for all of us – from the mood around generative AI to the rise of creator rhetoric. Got a question or a suggestion for the SocialMinds podcast? Get in touch at socialminds@socialchain.com. Links to each interview featured in today’s episode: Mob - Jake Gauntlett Doing Things Media – Scott Dunn Rory Sutherland – Ogilvy Hootsuite – Billy Jones Formula 1 – Sam Baker